Open Letter Condemning Racist Publication & in Support of El Jones

On October 7th a blatantly racist caricature of poet, writer, teacher, and activist El Jones was published in Frank Magazine. In the cartoon Jones was drawn in the 19th-century mode of deriding Blackness: her features were altered to resemble an animal on terms conventional in racist representation.

This is a deliberately hateful act, and it singles out just two of the many speakers at the depicted event—both women of colour. This is both racist and misogynist. It is also very telling about the climate of anti-black racism in Nova Scotia and in Canada.

The context of the cartoon was a protest at the monument to Edward Cornwallis, a figure of colonial violence who is credited with the founding of Halifax. Cornwallis used tactics such as a scalping proclamation—payment for the scalps of Mi’kmaq men, women, and children—to secure Halifax for colonial powers. The setting for this racist caricature of Jones is significant: in recent months the monument to Cornwallis has been used as a rallying site for anti-racist action. It has also been used as a site to gather and publicly perform the violences and hatred of White Supremacy. While they have been far outnumbered by those coming together to address racism, such gatherings are a reminder that we all must be vigilantly aware of the persistence of colonialism and racism in our society.

We stand with El Jones who is a community leader and teacher. We condemn the publication of racist material under the guise of satire. We know what satire means. It is an effort to critique ideas or public figures on substantive grounds, not banal racist depictions. We call for the immediate removal of the magazine from shop shelves. And we call for meaningful public action that demonstrates a commitment to anti-racist education in Nova Scotia and the promotion of meaningful public debate about significant issues that affect our communities.